Paper folder and creaser



Sept. 26, 1961 v. w. GEE 3,001,785

PAPER FOLDER AND CREASER Filed Aug. 25, 1959 INVENTOR.

VANCE W GEE v/m H l States at This invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to a tool for creasing pliable tape for building construction purposes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for creasing building tape along its longitudinal central axis for attachment to building wall boards during construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated paper tape folder and creaser of the above type that may be readily operated to accurately fold and crease continuous lengths of paper tape, and which also includes measuring apparatus for measuring the length of tape so processed.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a paper folder and creaser bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side View of a paper folder and creaser made in accordance with the present invention in operative use; and

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a paper tape folder and creaser device made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a main support or base 12 having a pair of laterally outwardly extending arms 14 at each end for stably supporting the device on any supporting surface. A vertically upwardly extending mounting plate 16 integral with the base 12 includes a transversely extending shaft 18 upon which a roll 20 of paper building tape may be rollably supported. The web 22 of the roll of tape 20 is passed through the folder and creaser apparatus in a manner hereinafter more fully described.

The folding device includes an elongated channel guide member 24 which slidably receives the web 22 of the paper tape longitudinally therethrough. The outlet end of the guide 24 is formed into a pair of upwardly and outwardly diverging Wings 26 having an apex 28. Thus, as the processed web 22a passes outwardly from the outlet end of the guide, it is folded in substantially V-shaped configuration.

A presser roller 34, rotatably supported an extension of a length counter 30, has a sharp edge that is in pressure engagement with the center of the tape web 22 as it passes through the guide 24 and wings 26. This presser roller 24 creases the paper so as to assure it maintaining its folded condition upon exit from the guide device. The roller 34 is also suitably connected to the operating mechanism of the indicator pointer 36 of the counter 30, thus providing a visual indication of the amount of tape being fed through the guide unit.

It will now be recognized that in actual use, a large roll of paper tape 29 may be placed upon the supporting flange 16 of the frame, and the web 22 is fed forwardly through the guide 24 in which it is creased by the presser roller 34 and folded by the V-shaped wings 26 of the guide as the finished web 22 passes out of the outlet end of the apparatus. It is thus possible to continuously fold and crease any desired lengths of paper tape in this manner for all types of building and construction purposes. Since the counter 30 is pivotally mounted upon a pivot shaft 38, the presser foot roller 34 may freely move with the tape being drawn through the guide device so as to prevent cutting or perforation thereof during use.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A tape folding and creasing device comprising, in combination, a main supporting base, an elongated guide body having folding guide means for directing a strip of tape into a folded position from one inlet end to an opposite outlet end, said guide body being supported upon said main support base, said guide body folding a paper strip about its longitudinal axis during movement of said strip through said guide means from said one inlet end to said opposite outlet end thereof, presser means carried by said main support base overlying the inlet end of said guide to crease said strip passing through said guide means, means responsive to said presser means for measuring the length of the strip of tapered tape through said guide means, said presser means precreasing said tape along said central longitudinal axis thereof during movement of said tape into and through said guide means, said main support base comprising a substantially stable base section, a perpendicularly related upstanding supporting flange having a transversely extending shaft rollably supporting a roll of paper thereupon, said folding guide means comprising a substantially tubular member having a slot at said inlet end slidably receiving said strip of paper tape therethrough, and the opposite outlet end of said guide including a pair of upwardly diverging wings slidably receiving the opposite lateral sides of said tape longitudinally therethrough from said inlet end of said guide means.

2. The combination according to claim 1, further comprising tape length measurement means pivotably,

supported upon said vertical flange of said base having visual indicator means for indicating the length of tape fed through said guide means.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein said presser means comprises a roller carried by said indicator means and drivingly connected thereto overlying said inlet end of said guide means for pressure engagement along the longitudinal axis of a strip of paper tape passing through said guide means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 951,967 Robbins Mar. 15, 1910 2,581,190 Hodges Ian. 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 121,638 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1918 

